Seals were used in the earliest civilizations to authenticate a document, a wrapper for the document, or the cover of a container or package holding valuables or other objects. With the advent of writing, people started using a signature, using symbols based on an alphabet with or without the seal.
The traditional function of a signature is evidential; it is to give evidence of the origin of the document and the intention of an individual with regard to that document.
Legally acceptable signatures have varied from a simple “X” to elaborate flowing, cursive writing using the Latin alphabet. In some cultures, an ideograph printed by a chop acts as a signature.
However a document is signed, a person's signature has always been considered idiosyncratic to the individual, difficult to forge without detection and providing evidence of identity and will. Electronic documents that require a signature present new challenges to preserve the purpose of the signature.
While these methods and systems may be suitable for the particular purpose employed, or for general use, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present disclosure as disclosed hereafter.
In the present disclosure, where a document, act or item of knowledge is referred to or discussed, this reference or discussion is not an admission that the document, act or item of knowledge or any combination thereof was at the priority date, publicly available, known to the public, part of common general knowledge or otherwise constitutes prior art under the applicable statutory provisions; or is known to be relevant to an attempt to solve any problem with which the present disclosure is concerned.
While certain aspects of conventional technologies have been discussed to facilitate the present disclosure, no technical aspects are disclaimed and it is contemplated that the claims may encompass one or more of the conventional technical aspects discussed herein.